Extender for an infant bodysuit

ABSTRACT

An extender for an infant bodysuit is provided that can extend the usable life of an infant bodysuit that is too small for a particular infant. The extender includes two pieces; a front piece which is adapted to be attached to the front side of the infant bodysuit, and a back piece which is adapted to be attached to the back side of the infant bodysuit. Each piece further includes a fastening end which may include one or more buttons. The fastening end of the front piece may be fastened to the fastening end of the back piece so that the extender is secure between the crotch of the infant. To change the infant&#39;s diaper, a person can unfasten the front piece from the second piece at which point the diaper is accessible.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The invention is related to and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/575,124 which was filed on Aug. 17, 2011.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to infant apparel, and more particularly, to an extender for an infant bodysuit that increases the useable life of an infant bodysuit.

BACKGROUND

Infant bodysuit are commonly worn by infants from when they are born until they are 3 years old. An infant bodysuit is a garment designed to be worn by infants much like a t-shirt. Infant bodysuits are distinguished from t-shirts, however, in that two portions of the prior art infant bodysuit generally extend below the waist. The two portions are secured on an infant with snaps that allow the two portions of material to be fastened together over the crotch. Generally the two pieces are fasted together using buttons. The two pieces of material can be fastened or unfastened by an adult for the purpose accessing the infant's diaper so that the diaper can be changed. Like t-shirts, infant bodysuits come in a wide variety of designs and may be worn as undergarments or as outer shirts

As any parent can confirm, infants grow very quickly from being newly born until they are 3 years old. As such, parents often are required to buy infant bodysuits in larger and larger sizes which can stretch a family's budget. In a particularly fast growth stage for an infant, an infant bodysuit or set of infant bodysuits may only fit the infant comfortably for a few months.

A few devices exist that help extend the usable life of infant bodysuits. One such device includes two lengths of material that are designed to be connected to the buttons of the infant bodysuit that meet in crotch area. This device unfortunately suffers from the drawback that the placement of buttons on infant bodysuits is not uniform (i.e. not all infant bodysuits have buttons in the same place). Therefore a parent that wants to use the device has to search out a device that has a button configuration that is substantially the same to the placement of buttons on an infant bodysuit. Even if a parent is able to find the prior art extension device for one infant bodysuit, it may not be useable with the other infant bodysuits in the infant's wardrobe. This process of searching out extension devices which correctly match the button configuration on infant bodysuits can be frustrating which leads many parents to just buy a larger infant bodysuit.

There is therefore a need for an extender for an infant bodysuit which overcomes or mitigates one or more of the defects of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In its broad aspect, the invention provides an extender for use with an infant bodysuit having a front side and a back side. The extender includes a front piece having an attachment end which is affixable to the front side of the infant bodysuit. The front piece also has a fastening end which is configured to be fastened between the legs of the infant in the crotch area. A length of material connects the attachment end and the fastening end of the front piece. The extender also includes a back piece having an attachment end which is affixable to the back side of the infant bodysuit. The back piece includes a fastening end which can be fastened to the front piece between the legs of the infant. An adhesive may be provided on the attachment ends so that the front and back pieces of the extender may be affixed to the front and backs sides of the infant bodysuit respectively.

In another aspect, one of the fastening ends includes a male piece, and the other fastening end includes a female piece. The male piece and the female piece may be components of a snap button.

In one aspect, the attachment ends of the front and back pieces include an adhesive for affixing the attachment ends to the infant bodysuit.

In yet another aspect, the adhesive is a heat activated adhesive that can be activated using a heating device such as an iron.

In a broad aspect, the invention provides a method for extending the usable life of an infant bodysuit. The infant bodysuit has a front side and a back side made out of a material. The method includes the steps of providing an infant bodysuit, providing an extender for the infant bodysuit and attaching the extender to the infant bodysuit.

In yet another aspect, the infant bodysuit that may be provided in the method includes a front piece which is attachable to the front side of the infant bodysuit and a back piece which is attachable to the back side of the infant bodysuit. Each piece includes an attachment end and a fastening end. The attachment end may include a heat activated adhesive for affixing the respective pieces to the infant bodysuit. Fastening means may also be provided so that the front piece of the extender may be connected to the back piece of the connector between the legs of the infant.

In one other aspect, the method includes the step of selecting an extender that substantially corresponds in material, color and/or pattern with the material of the infant bodysuit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 a is a diagram illustration of a prior art infant bodysuit in the fastened position; FIG. 1 b is a diagram illustration of the prior art infant bodysuit of Figure la in an unfastened position;

FIG. 2 a is a diagram illustration of an embodiment of an infant bodysuit extender according to the invention, showing the infant bodysuit extender in a fastened position; FIG. 2 b is another view of the invent bodysuit of FIG. 2 a; and

FIG. 3 a is a diagram illustration showing an infant bodysuit extender of the invention in an unfastened position used on an infant bodysuit; FIG. 3 b is a diagram illustration showing an infant bodysuit extender of FIG. 3 a in a fastened position used on an infant bodysuit.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference is first made to FIGS. 1 a,b and 2 a,b to describe and embodiment of an extender 100 for an infant bodysuit of the invention. The extender 100 of the invention may be used to extend the usable life of an infant bodysuit 200 by increasing the size of an infant bodysuit 200 that a particular infant has otherwise outgrown.

The prior art infant bodysuit 200 in FIG. 1 a,b is an example of a typical infant bodysuit that may be used with the extender 100 of the invention. The infant bodysuit 200 is made out of a material (such as cotton) and has front side and a back side. Fasteners such as snap buttons are often included for securing the front side and the back side together between the legs of the infant. The fasteners can be unfastened to change the infant's diaper without having to take the infant bodysuit off of the infant.

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b illustrate the extender 200 of the invention. The extender 100 may include two pieces 102; a front piece 102 which can be connected to the front side of the infant bodysuit 200, and back piece 102 that can be connected to the back side of the infant bodysuit 200. Although one component may be identified as the “front” piece of the extender and another component may be identified as the “back” piece of the extender, it should be appreciated that either piece 102 may be positionable on the front or back sides of the infant bodysuit.

Each piece 102 has an attachment end and a fastening end with a length of material connected therebetween. The material of the extender may include any material suitable for use with infants such as cotton, cotton blends, fleece, bamboo, and the like. The attachment end 120 of each piece is adapted to be connected to the corresponding side of the infant bodysuit.

In one embodiment, the attachment end 120 of each piece may include a heat activated adhesive 120 a. The heat activated adhesive 120 a may be activated using a heating device such as an iron. The attachment end 120 of the front piece 102 and/or the back piece 102 may also include other types of adhesive 120, such as double sided tape, glue, adhesives activated by other means, fabric hook and loop fasteners, and the like, and any combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the fastening means 104 may include one or more snap fasteners, hook and loop fasteners, drawstrings, laces, and the like, and any combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the male fasteners 104 of one piece correspond substantially in number and position with the corresponding female fasteners 104 of the other piece. For example, in one embodiment, the attachment end 120 of the front piece 102 has an adhesive 120 a for affixing the attachment end 120 to the front side of the infant bodysuit 200. The fastening end of the front piece may include three male fasteners 104. A length of material connects the fastening end and the attachment end 120 of the front piece. Likewise, the attachment end 120 of the back piece may also have an adhesive 120 a for attaching the attachment end 120 to the back side of the infant bodysuit 200. The fastening end of the back piece 102 may include three female fasteners 104 positioned so that they are engageable with the three male fasteners 104 of the front piece 102.

The attachment end 120 of each piece 102 may include an adhesive cover that protects the adhesive and preserves the adhesive's 120 a properties before the adhesive 120 a is engaged with the infant bodysuit 200. The adhesive cover may be peeled away before use.

In use, a person (such as a parent) selects and provides an infant bodysuit 200 of which the person would like to extend the life by increasing the size of an otherwise too small infant bodysuit 200 for a particular infant. The infant bodysuit 200 may be extended by providing an extender 100 of the invention for use with the infant bodysuit. The extender 200 may include two pieces 102 as described above, one piece 102 for positioning on the back side of the infant bodysuit and the other piece 102 for positioning on the front side of the infant bodysuit. Each piece 102 has an attachment end 120 for affixing the piece 102 to the infant bodysuit 200, as well as a fastening end for attaching one piece to the fastening end of the other piece. The front piece 102 may be affixed to the front side of the infant bodysuit using an adhesive 120 a provided with the extender and/or by sewing the front piece to the infant bodysuit. Likewise, the back piece 102 may be affixed to the back side of the infant bodysuit using an adhesive 120 a provided with the extender and/or by sewing the back piece to the infant bodysuit 200.

As shown with reference to FIGS. 3 a and 3 b, once the pieces 102 are attached to the infant bodysuit 200 via the attachment ends 120, the infant bodysuit 200 together with the extender 100 of the invention may be used in practice. To use the infant bodysuit/extender system, a person can secure the system in place by fastening the fastening end 104 of one piece 102 to the fastening end 104 of the other piece 102 between the legs of the infant. The fastening process may involve snap fastening one or more male snaps 104 on one of the pieces 102 with its corresponding female snap 104 on the other piece 102. The infant may then go about his or her day in a comfortable infant bodysuit/extender system that is securely held in place. When a diaper change is necessary, a person disconnects the fastening end 104 of one piece 102 from the fastening end 104 of the other piece 102 and changes the infant's diaper, cleans the infant, and the like. After the new diaper is in place, the person can refasten the extender 100 by engaging the fastening end 104 of the front piece 102 with the fastening end 104 of the back piece 102.

It will be appreciated that the method of providing an extender 100 for a particular infant bodysuit 200 may include the step of selecting and providing an extender 100 that has material similar in quality, material, pattern, color, etc. to the material of the infant bodysuit 200. In an embodiment, the extender material may be organic, non-toxic and/or hypoallergenic.

By using the method of the invention a person can greatly increase the usable life of an infant bodysuit that would otherwise be too small for a particular infant. In some embodiments, the extender 100 of the invention can also be removed so that the original infant bodysuit (i.e. without the extender) can be used on another child.

In an embodiment, the invention provides a system for extending the usable life of one or more infant bodysuits. The system includes one or more infant bodysuits 200, and one or more extenders 100 as described herein. In one embodiment the system includes several extenders 100 of different sizes so that a particular infant bodysuit 200 may be used at several different growth stages of the infants. For example, an infant bodysuit 200 may be packaged and sold with two extenders 100. Say for example that the infant bodysuit 200 is sized for an infant between 3 and 6 months. The first extender 100 may increase the usable life of the infant bodysuit 200 to 9 month and the second extender 100 may increase the usable life of the infant bodysuit 200 to 12 months. The extenders and the infant bodysuits of the system of the invention may use a uniform fastening position so that the extenders may be used with other infant bodysuits already in the infant's wardrobe or will be bought for the infant in the future.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of the above description, will appreciate that other embodiments may be devised which do not depart from the scope of the present invention as described herein. In addition, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the disclosure of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the claims. 

1. An extender for an infant bodysuit, said infant bodysuit comprising a front side and a back side, said extender comprising: A front piece comprising an attachment end adapted to be affixed to the front side of the infant bodysuit, a fastening end adapted to be fastened between the legs of the infant, and a length of material therebetween; A back piece comprising an attachment end adapted to be affixed to the back side of the infant bodysuit, a fastening end adapted to be fastened to the fastening end of said front piece, and a length of material therebetween, in which said attachment ends comprise an adhesive for affixing said attachment ends to the front side and the back side of said infant bodysuit.
 2. The extender of claim 1 in which one of said fastening ends comprises at least one male fastener, and the other of said fastening ends comprises at least one female fastener.
 3. The extender of claim 2 in which said fastening ends comprise snaps.
 4. The extender of claim 1 in which the front piece and the back piece are adapted to be fastened to each other using hook and loop fasteners.
 5. The extender of claim 1 in which said attachment ends comprises a heat activated adhesive.
 6. The extender of claim 5 in which said heat activated adhesive is adapted to be activated using an iron.
 7. An extender for an infant bodysuit, said infant bodysuit comprising a front side and a back side, said extender comprising: A front piece comprising an attachment end adapted to be affixed to the front side of the infant bodysuit, a fastening end adapted to be fastened between the legs of the infant, the fastening end comprising at least one male fastener, and a length of material therebetween; A second piece comprising an attachment end adapted to be affixed to the back side of the infant bodysuit, a fastening end adapted to be fastened to the fastening end of said first piece, the fastening end comprising at least one female fastener, and a length of material therebetween, in which said attachment ends comprise an adhesive for affixing said attachment ends to the front side and the rear side of said bodysuit.
 8. An extender for an infant bodysuit, said infant bodysuit comprising a front side and a back side, said extender comprising: A front piece comprising an attachment end adapted to be affixed to the front side of the infant bodysuit, a fastening end adapted to be fastened between the legs of the infant, and a length of material therebetween; A back piece comprising an attachment end adapted to be affixed to the back side of the infant bodysuit, a fastening end adapted to be fastened to the fastening end of said front piece, and a length of material therebetween, Fastening means for connecting the fastening end of said front piece to the fastening end of said back piece, in which said attachment ends comprise an adhesive for affixing said attachment ends to the front side and the back side of said bodysuit.
 9. The extender of claim 8 in which said material is non-toxic.
 10. The extender of claim 9 in which said material is hypoallergenic.
 11. A method for extending the usable life of an infant bodysuit, the infant bodysuit comprising material and having a front end and a back end, the method comprising: providing the infant bodysuit; providing an extender for the infant bodysuit, the extender comprising a front piece comprising an attachment end adapted to be affixed to the front side of the infant bodysuit, a fastening end adapted to be fastened between the legs of the infant, and a length of material therebetween; a back piece comprising an attachment end adapted to be affixed to the back side of the infant bodysuit, a fastening end adapted to be fastened to the fastening end of said front piece, and a length of material therebetween, and fastening means for connecting the front piece to the back piece; attaching said front piece to the front end of said infant bodysuit; attaching said back piece to the back end of said infant bodysuit;
 12. The method of claim 11 in which the steps of attaching the front and back pieces to said infant bodysuit includes applying a heating device to said attachment ends.
 13. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of selecting an extender material that substantially corresponds to the infant bodysuit material.
 14. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of selecting an extender color that substantially corresponds to the infant bodysuit color. 